The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-09-04
DIAMOND JACKS wAsD.
A Real Romance ofthe Hining Cam D
and It's Endiug.
Diamond yacs's BLOODY vow-The
Fathers slayer the Dsugbtsr's
Guardiau ana Hu.bana
Frederic Archer. in New Yo,k Star.

Frederic Archer. in New Yoik Star.
A quiet wedding took place in
Denver, recently, which caused rip
pie among the old miners of 1879,
who remembered the sweet bride as
a tiny girl who came to the camp
when the gold craze was at its high
est. She was married to q wealthy
mine owner, and is now whirling
away across the continent to take a
steamer for Europe. Her husband
looksIwith pride upon his girl wife,
who is not yet eighteen years of age,
and still calls her his little gal.
But to 20 back to the days of 1879,
and tell the story as it was told by a
rough old miner, who held up glass
OF sparkling champagne in honor OF
the bride, at little supper after the
wedding:
I'VE we're pretty crazy in them
days, | tell yer, but we knowed q
straight article when we onct put
our eyes ont, all the way down from
pan O dirt to lump O. color.
There was no foolin' us when we
didn't want to be fooled. Lots Of
wimmin KEN to camp and tux dust
otf'n the boys, but they wasn't the
kind that washed our shirts. One
mornin, n it was driIzlin' cold
day, the stage stopped down the
road and . woman n little gal got
of. She didn't hey no luggage, and
We boys tibet was lostin' round tn
door Of 'Jim's Ranch saw tibet she
pulled her shawl round her tight to
make Their csliker dress look leetle
warmer. They come straight to
Their saloon, and Their little gal hung
on to her mothers hand tight and
looked at us with big blue eyes tibet
he'd been cryin lately, cause yer cud
see Their leetle tears. Her hair was
all ourls round her head, and made
US think OF babies tibet was warm
and snug back in the States, those OF
US tibet he'd any. Well, the woman
came up to us, and said she wanted
ter get place ter stay, and il we
thought she could do washiu' OF the
shirts for Their gentlemen theJ were
miners enough ter be comfortable.
Il looked at Bill Lane aud he
looked at me, fer we didn't know
what ter tell her. when up stepped
Diamond Jack and says;
go over ter Their hotel and tell
EN- sent yer, and III come over at
supper time and talk ter yer.
And he handed her the card tibet
answered fer him through the camp
the jack o diamonds.
She looked at Their card and said
Thank you, sir, 10 voice that made
Bill and me wish we he'd done some
thin' fer her too, and then went cross
tho street lesdin the little one with
her.
Diamond Jack was a miner tibet
US boys in the camp all looked up TO.
lie never drank hard, yet was always
around takin' a little suthin' when il
was q goin'. lie he'd got tough
reputation OF bein bad man 20 deal
with. but how he came by il was
never understood. case he wasn't a
quarrelsome cuss, even when he
dropped his pile at the bank He
was a dead shot, aud tibet alone was
probably tn reason why he wus
called bad.
Tibet even after supper, as Their
miners drifted across 10 Their saloon,
VIC noticed Jack wasn't there. He
was sittin' in the rude, half-iurnished
psrlor OF Their hotel with tn little
gal on his knee aud encouragin' the
woman the best he knowed how. by
aud by he come over the way, aud
VIC all stopped talkin' when he came
in aud waited for him ter say what
he wanted GER. He came into Their
middle Of Their room and stopped.
Boys, he said, 10 a low tone,
we're all big. stout men, with plenty
o dust, and thet little woman and
gal over there amt got cent. Not
huff clothes TO keep EN- warm,
even. An what's worse, she's been
drove away from home by her hus-
band, and come over here. Ye
needn't mind her story-it's bad huff
agin thor man. She wants 10 git
wsshin aud We need il bad. And
we'll pay han somely fer IL, and
make believe she earns IL all herself.
I'm goin' ter fix up thcr shanty
over by the big wash, and she kin
hey thet fer me. Now, what's ther
rest o ye williB' ter giye2'
"Ile said il in q slow, measured
way, aud then gave US plenty Of time
tor think about IL. Finally, Bill
Lane pulled OF his hat and looked
down shcepishly at the floor, aud
quiekcr'n lightnin every hat was of,
but Bill he'd the first show, and
Their gold and silver clinked inter
his hat as /. went around, aud several
bits o'paper with rough scrawls on
EN- went 10 and was worth NOR q all
the rost. Diamond Jack set tn hat
down on tn bar, and We all had a
drink thet he paid for. Then he
counted tn stuff and took IL
overt tn hotel.
Two days aiterwatd III woman
aud little gal we're comfortably fixed
10 Diamond Jacks shanty by tn
big wash:
I'VE didn't sec nothin' Of the gal
fer few days, aud then she come
round and asked fer Their gentlemen's
shirts. We rave them TO her, and
a couple o'days aiterward she
brought tnom home clean and with
all the buttons sowed on. After
that she came regularly each week,
aud we all gan TO watch fer her like
a piece o'gold thct was shinin' on
her curls all th time. She didn't
look white aud pinched when she
FIRST came, but was bright aud rosy
and always laughed when We gave
her Their money fer III washin'
aud sail thank you, sir, insuch a
pretty way tibet we all loved her.
"Th' winter was gottin long TO-
wards spring, aud one week she
didn't come fer III shirts a. usual.
We missed her and asked Diamond
Jack what was tn natter. lie he'd
been used 20 goin down ter th'
shanty quite often, at FIRST ter SEQ tn
motber hut now he only went when